[78-L] Man, they were great

[Jeff Sultanof]

The Sauter-Finegan Orchestra is still one of the most beloved among
composer/arrangers. I did not know Eddie, but I took a composition lesson
with Bill, and he was a gem of a human being. Some years ago, my friend
Bill Kirchner tried to get Mosaic Records to put out a complete box of all
the S-F recordings, which would have included the RCA, Kapp and UA labels.
They passed, to many people's regret. Musicians still love playing this
music (I have several of the arrangements), and several musicians and
singers who were on the dates had many happy memories of the music and the
leaders when I spoke to them some years ago). It was a badge of honor to be
asked to play on the sessions.

What is also interesting is that the ensemble was not supposed to tour;
Bill wanted it to remain a studio orchestra. But when their sides started
to get airplay, Willard Alexander talked both leaders into it. They had to
develop a dance book quickly, as they were not a big band per se. Bill
always regretted the move.


On Sun, Apr 28, 2013 at 7:29 PM, David Lennick <dlennick at sympatico.ca>wrote:

> Just listened to 48 minutes' worth of the SAUTER-FINEGAN ORCHESTRA ("The
> Sound
> Of" plus volume II of the Extended Play Suite).  All recorded 60 years ago
> and
> still sounding fabulous.
>
> dl
>
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